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'We're positioned well'

Pioneer Press

Posted:
12/15/2008 12:01:00 AM CST

I am a people person. I enjoy conversation.

I'm hard-working. I'm very loyal to people that treat me right and are good to me.

I want nothing but to see this (Timberwolves) team do really well. I know publicly things are tough right now. People are questioning things. You've got to let things evolve. We've done a lot of good things here. I think we've positioned ourselves.

Pet peeves? Disloyal people. People who have an agenda. People who you can't count on. People who aren't straight up. I think you've got to be straight up, no matter what the consequences.

I'd like my friends to say I'm dependable and they can count on me. I'll be there no matter what.

If I had a time machine, I would like to go back to biblical times when Jesus walked the Earth. It would be a really cool time in civilization.

I used to watch "Gilligan's Island." Also, "The Brady Bunch." "The Courtship of Eddie's Father."

Ginger or Mary Ann? I would be more of a Mary Ann fan. Ginger was too much frills for me. Mary Ann was wholesome, somebody you could talk to. And attractive. I liked the substance over style.

I played football, baseball and basketball growing up. As I got into high school, I played baseball and then morphed into basketball full time. I was a forward mainly. I got a basketball scholarship. I'm still the third all-time leading scorer at Northwestern.

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We were the first team to go to the postseason (1983 National Invitation Tournament). I was the captain of the team. We got the program going in a good direction when the Big Ten was far and away the best conference in the country.

What superhero superpower would I want? Who's the character who can see into the future? That would be pretty cool.

My parents were the biggest influence in my life. My dad got me interested in sports. He always taught me to never be satisfied.

We're more by committee since the Kevin Garnett trade. I've been able to do some contracts. And I think (Wolves owner) Glen (Taylor) is able to see I can handle some things. Kevin (McHale) has been the head guy. I'm not one to vie for that if I'm not in that role. I'm comfortable in that role if I'm put into that role. I'm not going to chase after it.

I was there for the six championships with the Chicago Bulls. I was the assistant general manager to Jerry Krause. I started as a scout in 1987-88. That was the year we drafted (Scottie) Pippen and (Horace) Grant. I always was the assistant general manager, but I didn't have the title. I was the second in command. It was a good growing experience for me.

I just want to get this thing moving in a (positive) direction. I thought we did a lot of good things this summer. I know a lot of people are questioning the O.J. Mayo trade. I think Mike Miller is going to do a lot of good things for us. And Kevin Love is going to do good things for us. We've got draft picks. We've stockpiled draft picks. (The Wolves can have as many as four first-round picks in the 2009 draft.) I think Al Jefferson will be a linchpin for us.

Kevin (McHale) is going to do a terrific job in coaching. He inspires people. He knows we need a style of play and an identity. We're positioned well. We've just got to get the existing team playing better.

I come from an environment where a lot of guys who were in my group at Northwestern are trading at the Mercantile Exchange in Chicago. I had a business major at Northwestern. I ran with that crowd of people. That environment always appealed to me, but I'm glad I was able to get involved in the basketball part.

Worst thing I did as a kid? I took my mom's car when I was 15 years old. I had a permit. I didn't have a driver's license. My parents were waiting for me when I got back. That was a rough one to get through.

If my house was burning down and my family was safe, I'd want to get the pictures of my kids and my six (NBA) championship rings.

I used to process losses and get really frustrated. When I was in Chicago with the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner there, taught me the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." You should do whatever you can to help the situation. But you have to trust things will work out.

The best movie I've ever seen was "Braveheart" with Mel Gibson. I thought it had great themes. He just wanted to be left alone to live his life and raise a family. He believes so much in freedom and being a free man that he's willing to give his life for that cause. It's so well done the way he inspires people.

Other movies I really like are "The Sting." "Rounders." Stuff like that.

Alicia Silverstone, I think, is very talented. And Reese Witherspoon. Meryl Streep is real good.

I used to read a lot of the Stephen King horror novels. I'm also fascinated by biographies and autobiographies. I read Hitler's biography to see how diabolical he became. I enjoy watching the evolution of people and how they make their stamp.

My daughter made me a CD with stuff I like — Dire Straits and Seals & Crofts. I come from that Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones time. I used to say I wanted to be Jimmy Page if I was a musician, because he was so talented as a singer and musician.

I used to play a lot of video games and pinball growing up. I was good at it. I would always set the record at the student center. I really don't play anymore. My kids play a little bit and try to pull me in. I have no interest in it. It doesn't appeal to me.

Simon Cowell probably would cover his ears if he heard me sing.

I'm Irish, so I'm a big meat-and-potatoes guy. I'd want my last meal to be a combination of steak, potatoes and some type of vegetable. I'd wash it down with an ice-cold Heineken. There's nothing better than winning and having an ice-cold Heineken after a win.

The best advice I ever got? The Serenity Prayer I got from Jerry Reinsdorf carried me through. You've got to differentiate between things you can control and cannot control. When I got that piece of advice, it really helped me.

I wouldn't act on bad advice.

If I could trade places for a day with anyone, I'd harken back to biblical times. I'd like to be Jesus Christ. That might sound weird, but just to go through that period of what he had to deal with. Some people say he wasn't the son of God, that he was just one of the big prophets. I think it would be really neat to experience what he went through during his short life on Earth. It'd be pretty cool to be Einstein, too. To be that bright and have such an impact on society would be cool.

I want my epitaph to say, "Here lies Jim Stack, who tried to do the best he could with every situation he was given."